Saat: Crane 3rd witness to die
2003-11-11 14:29
Johannesburg - A decision as to whether the Johannesburg High Court has the jurisdiction to try Lior Saat, an alleged member of the Israeli mafia, is expected on Tuesday or Wednesday.
A witness against Saat - Hazel Crane, a socialite and friend of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela - was shot dead in Athol Oaklands, Johannesburg, on Monday. She was on her way to court.
Saat is accused of bludgeoning Crane's husband Shai Avissar to death in 1999.
He is contesting the jurisdiction of the Johannesburg High Court to try him, claiming he was kidnapped at the Mozambican border by police and brought to South Africa illegally.
On Monday a police witness strongly denied this. He said Saat was arrested on the South African side of the border after being deported from Mozambique because his visa had expired.
If the court rules in favour of a trial, Saat will face 13 charges, including murder, attempted murder, illegal possession of a firearm and kidnapping.
Media reports say Julio Bascelli and Carlo Binne were killed in Mozambique shortly before Saat's arrest in April 2001.
Crane, who always attended the Saat proceedings, often accompanied by Madikizela-Mandela, faced a number of assassination attempts and was quoted as saying as recently as last week, during an adjournment, that she feared for her life.
In the first place she said Saat held a gun to her head and told her if she did not stop interfering in the search for Avissar he would "shoot her head off". Saat is facing intimidation charges on this account.
In the second instance, Crane narrowly escaped an attempt on her life in May this year when a gunman in the back seat of an Audi aimed a firearm at her and three others as they ducked for cover. One person was hit. Ironically, this was the man Crane had hired to discuss her security.
An air of sadness hung around the court on Monday as the place usually reserved for Crane was empty.
Avissar disappeared mysteriously during October 1999, and his decomposing body was found three months later in a shallow grave on a smallholding near Pretoria. He was apparently beaten to death in Sunninghill east of Johannesburg.
On June 14, 2001, Saat was himself wounded in a drive-by shooting while being transported to the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court from the old Brixton police cells. Another prisoner was shot dead and Saat was wounded in the buttocks.
- SAPA